"Memories"

self-released

Artists:

South Carolina resident Noah Smith makes wavy electronic music as Hard Mix. He's only got a few tracks to his name, but so far Smith uses dusty Motown grooves to add warmth to his own tracks, as the previously Forkcasted "Alright" drew from Marvin Gaye's pronounced turn in his and Tammi Terrell's "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You". "Memories", on the other hand, samples the Four Tops' "It's the Same Old Song"; specifically, clipped vocal portions that are made to sound like anguished cries, which separates the sample from its exultantly joyful source material by a few degrees. The usage matches well with "Memories"' warped, watery tones, which sound sad-eyed against the song's insistent beat. The temptation exists to lump this stuff in with Washed Out and chillwave in general; the fact that Washed Out's Ernest Greene and Smith share the same state of residence only makes the potential connection stronger, too. What separates "Memories" from the rest of the ever-growing pack, then, is its minor-key uncertainty and night-lit attitude.